Senate Bill S8173

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8173

SPONSOR: BAILEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the correction law, in relation to screening incarcerat-
ed individuals for eligibility in the supplemental nutrition assistance
program prior to release

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

Requires screening incarcerated individuals for eligibility in the
supplemental nutrition assistance program prior to release.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends correction law by adding a new section 619-a, which
states it should be the duty of an official of any institution under the
jurisdiction of the commissioner to cooperate with an authorized agency
of the department of social services to screen incarcerated individuals
for eligibility for the supplemental nutrition access program pursuant
to section 95 of the social services law 30 days prior to release and to
              

assist the individuals in applying for the program. It states that the
official, in cooperation with the authorized agency, should seek any
necessary waivers from the United States Department of Agriculture to
suspend the 3 month time limit for individuals in areas without work and
to ensure that incarcerated individuals have 1 year of eligibility upon
release.

Section 2 sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, more than
600,000 people are released from state and federal prisons each year.
Formerly incarcerated individuals face many obstacles in re-entering
their communities, including food insecurity, unstable housing, and
difficulties in finding and retaining employment. Due to these chal-
lenges, recidivism can become common. According to a study that looked
into the release of incarcerated individuals from state prisons across
30 states, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics found that approximate-
ly 68% were rearrested within three years of their release and approxi-
mately 77% within five years of their release.

Access to basic social services such as food assistance can help incar-
cerated individuals reenter their communities and avoid cycling in and
out of the criminal justice system. Lack of access to food is the imme-
diate issue that most individuals leaving the system experience. They
are twice as likely to suffer food insecurity as the general population,
with 1 in 5 formerly incarcerated individuals finding it difficult to
obtain regular meals according to the Prison Policy Initiative. The
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been shown to help
reduce food insecurity. A study done by the U.S. Department of Agricul-
ture found that receiving SNAP benefits decreases the probability of
being food insecure by about 30% and the probability of being very food
insecure by about 20%.

To avoid recidivism and to achieve successful reentry into their commu-
nities, it requires being able to meet basic needs such as access to
food which has led to states like Illinois and California to expand
and/or put into place pre-release SNAP benefits programs this year,
respectively. This legislation would seek to ensure that incarcerated
individuals have the opportunity to apply for SNAP benefits 30 days
before they are released which will allow them to begin to acquire
stability in their lives and to support themselves and their families
once they are back in their communities.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

None determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.